Dental Clinic in Sydney Built Around a Sculptural Wooden Installation

On one of Sydney’s high-end retail streets Pedra Silva Architects were invited to design a high-level state of the art dental clinic. The client requested two receptions with two entrances that could function separately but without compromising the sense of spaciousness and its relationship with people passing by. In the same space there was a stubborn structural column that seemed to impose itself in all the attempts of trying to integrate it into the design. The solution? Answering the brief and magically making the column disappear!

To achieve this, the architects created a sculptural wooden element that serves as a filter between the two reception areas. This element serves a dual function: allowing for partial vision between spaces by separating them and at the same time making the concrete column vanish! Built from suspended wooden planks that start with narrow elements that then widen to engulf the existing column, this element was a response to a premise and became the predominant feature working as a space generator, influencing the ceiling and other elements.

The remaining space of the clinic is arranged around a central corridor that starts in the reception area that connects all the intricate parts of the dental clinic, from examination areas, surgeries, client areas and technical spaces. In the middle of this corridor you find a transparent central core made of glass allowing natural light inside. The architects conclude:”In summary this is a space where complex procedures are performed and we tried to create a corresponding space that communicates this level of sophistication leaving a positive and memorable impression on the patients who used it.” [Photos and information provided by Pedra Silva Architects; Photo credits: Fernando Guerra]